Rev. Joel M. Njus

September 25, 1918 - January 27, 2016

Rev. Joel M. Njus, 97, of Willmar, died Wednesday, January 27th

at Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar.

His funeral will be 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, February 3rd

at First Lutheran of Norway Lake Church, rural New London

with burial in the church cemetery.

Visitation will be Tuesday from 4-7 p.m. at Harvey Anderson Funeral Home in Willmar

and continue one hour prior to the service at the church.

Joel was born on September 25, 1918, in the parsonage of First Lutheran Church of Norway Lake, the 6th of 8 children, to Nils J. and Ellen (Togerson) Njus. He attended country school and graduated from New London High School in 1936. Following high school, Joel attended Concordia College in Moorhead, graduating in 1940 and following graduation he taught high school history and coached basketball in North Dakota. After graduating from Luther Theological Seminary in 1944 he was called to his first parish in Auburn, CA.

On August 12, 1946, he was united in marriage to Agnes Irene Johnson at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. Pastor Joel continued his yearning for education and attended Hamma Divinity School in Springfield, OH as well as Teologiske MennighetsFakultet, in Oslo, Norway.

Upon returning to the U.S., Pastor Joel accepted a call to Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Rembrandt, IA, where he served until 1955. From 1955 - 1965, he served the congregations of Bethlehem and Our Savior's in Inwood. During 1959, their family moved to Asker, Norway as Pastor served as an exchange pastor.

In 1965, Pastor Njus accepted a call at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Buffalo Center, IA, serving until 1970. In 1971, he completed Clinical Pastoral Education at the Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. In 1972, he began as the chaplain at Oakwood Lutheran Home in Madison, WI until becoming the administrator at Couer d'Alene Homes in Couer d'Alene, ID.

Pastor Joel and Irene retired in 1984 and moved to their cottage on Norway Lake. Following their first winter, they moved into Willmar but continued to enjoy the cottage during the summer.

During his retirement, Pastor developed a passion for the history of the Norway Lake area and the historical preservation of the log church, which was a built/restored structure of the first Lutheran house of worship in the Norway Lake area. He also organized the Norway Lake Lutheran Historical Association, a 501(c)3.

Pastor served as an Interim Pastor, in a number of parishes, was a part time visitation pastor at several churches in Willmar and also provided pulpit supply for several years.

As a member of First Lutheran, Pastor was on the building committee, choir member and taught Norwegian classes. His other interests included traveling, writing and fishing.

Irene preceded him in death in 2004. In 2005, Pastor was united in marriage to Twila Peterson.

Surviving are his wife, Twila; children, John (Helen) Njus, James (Margie) Njus, Carol Carlson, Marlene (Robert) Bridgforth; grandchildren, Joel, Ben and Ellen Njus, Mike (Amy) Carlson and George Bridforth; great grandchildren, Renzo, Jade, Azaliah, Carlos, Esteban, and Zosia. Also surviving are his sisters, Norma Egeness and Lucille Quanbeck; as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Besides his wife, Irene, and parents; he was preceded in death by grandsons, Bobby and Jeffrey; sisters, Linka Beaver, Margaret Kranz, Esther Gulsvig, Lillian Njus and brother, Olav.

Let us hold Joel's wife Twila and the Njus family in our prayers as they grieve, mourn, remember

and give thanks to God for the promises we know in Christ Jesus.

+Jon V. Anderson

Bishop, Southwestern Minnesota Synod, ELCA

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit." -Psalm 51: 10-12